LACROSSE
For perhaps the first time in his life, Coach Tom Dent is faced with the pleasant prospect of having a large number of men report for lacrosse who have played the sport before. Thus he is no longer obliged to indoctrinate his men in the fundamentals of stick-handling before he can embark on more esoteric maneuvers. Many of the leading eastern prep schools (notably Deerfield) are turning out trained contenders in this arduous sport, and they in turn are finding their way to Dartmouth.
The team this season is blazing along in first place in Ivy League competition, and shows every sign of remaining in that exalted position. The aggregation currently lines up with the incomparable Captain Bobbie Merriam spearheading the attack, ably assisted by Bill Scott and Sophomore Hammy Gates. The latter is one of my illustrations, having learned his lacrosse at Deerfield before captaining the freshman team last year. The starting midfield is composed of veterans Jim Ruch, Bob Funkhouser, and Skip Scully; and the de fense is ably handled by sophomores Walt Fisher and Bill Balderston, and veteran Al Bagni. Audie Knight is a fixture in the goal, where he repels the advances of rival stickmen with ease.
We wish we could give you a play-by-play report of all these energetic goings-on, but an insight into one typical encounter will have to suffice. On the same afternoon that the baseball team was overcoming the Navy, the racketeers disposed of Harvard handily by the score of 14-3. They won this one the hard way, starting out slowly (Harvard was actually ahead at one point) and then gathering momentum as they went. Leading Dartmouth scorer was veteran Don Scully, playing his third season, who came through with 4 goals, followed by Bill Scott and Hammy Gates with 3 each. Joe Brennan, Dartmouth second attack, Rennie Brighton, second midfield, and the indomitable Merriam with one apiece (plus four assists) rounded out the scoring. The starting defense group stood out throughout the encounter, especially during the second half, when they held the Crimson scoreless. People like these make things a lot easier for Coach Dent.
